Flowers
by YoungTakinom
Summary: When Dot found a surprise in her house, she assumed it was from Bob. Since then, Megabyte has come back a few times. If only he wasn't so obsessed her. If only he wasn't so good at manipulating her, at knowing exactly what she wanted to see and hear. If only she wasn't starting to like it.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Reboot

Megabyte didn't keep the Principal Office for more than a few weeks and hadn't managed to get out of the system. After the Super Computer tried to contact Bob and couldn't get through, the rest of the Guardians had stepped in, and the virals mysteriously vanished. Things had changed a lot since then, but even with Matrix, Enzo, and AndrAIa being certified cadets under Bob's training, Megabyte was still capable of causing trouble. This particular incident had consisted of a few buildings collapsing, but surprisingly no one was seriously injured. There were plenty of scratches and bruises and a few twisted ankles from panicking, but those would heal.

Dot sighed as she unlocked the door to her house, looking around to make sure no one was watching her punching in codes that Mouse had made for her. Ever since the wedding everyone had become much more protective of their CommandDotCom, and it was getting to her. But then again, everything did now. Dot was constantly on guard, and even a simple walk through the park was enough to make her nervous. She felt like a target, and she knew that Megabyte could use her if he managed to infect her.

But what she didn't understand was why he didn't infect her while he was pretending to be Bob. The virus had plenty of opportunities to infect her and her friends and family, but even while she was sleeping, he refrained.

She looked around her living room as she entered. Someone had decorated her home with exotic flowers. The vines draped over her furniture, flowing like waterfalls off the sides of her couch and wrapped around the legs of the chairs. The same vines were in the dining room. She found a note on the table.

 _Dear Dot,_

 _You've been through so much lately. I thought you could use an affectionate gesture after the trouble those virals caused today. As pretty as they are, these flowers are also very useful. The petals can be boiled into a calming tea. If it can work on Hexidecimal, no doubt it can help you._

 _Your not-so secret admirer_

Dot followed the advice on the paper and sat down to her couch. Bob was right- it was soothing. And after that long day, she definitely needed something to help her relax. She hadn't been sleeping well, and as she relaxed, she remembered that.

With a yawn she took the tea her room.

She grinned and shook her head at the floral vines draped across her headboard. Bob had really gone all out for her, even after what she had done to him after the fake copy arrived. He had even left a notebook on her bed. Dot put the cup of tea on her nightstand and sat down to read whatever Bob had written for her. Page after page, she found journal logs and poems about her, complete with dates of when they were written. Bob had secretly loved her from the moment he saw her- at first seeing her as nothing more than a pretty girl, then becoming more and more focused on her cleverness and spunk. He was amazed by her ability to come up with plans so quickly. He secretly loved watching her jog through the park, and thought highly of the relationship she had with her brother. It seemed he wanted desperately to be a part of it, and he promised her throughout the love journal that he would always watch over her, in awe of everything she did.

It was already dark when someone called to check on her.

"Oh, hey Bob." Dot drawled out, knowing the grin she was giving him must have looked silly. For once, she didn't mind being a goofball like him.

"Uh, hi Dot." Bob seemed nervous. How cute. "You seem happy. Am I interrupting something?"

"I'm just reading this notebook you left for me."

"What notebook?" Who knew Bob was so good at acting? It was he honestly had no idea what she was talking about.

"The one with all the love poems and little notes about how wonderful I am." she reminded him, showing him the book. "I'm almost at the part where..." She slowly got quiet. She started shaking.

"Dot?" Bob was concerned

"It's fine." She said, grabbing the cup of tea. It almost seemed like Bob had known that she would have a hard time with some of the memories the book had brought up. It wasn't very often that Bob planned something out, but he certainly was good at it. "I'm fine." She took a sip. "You were right- this is relaxing."

Bob just looked at her, still pretending to not know what she was talking about. It was getting annoying.

"Thanks for all those flowers. Even after my mistake, you're so good to me."

"Flowers?" At this point Bob looked almost scared "Dot, I haven't been to your house in days."

"But then who...?" Dot dropped the drink and flipped a few pages ahead. Now the book was bringing up things that had happened during Viral Wars. Bob hadn't been there for those, and she knew he wouldn't dare write a poem about chasing her through the principal Office. And if he did, he wouldn't be leading a group of virals while chasing her through those dark halls. And even if he did write such a thing, there was no way he would speak about Mouse that way.

"Dot?" Bob caught her attention.

She went back to sounding strict and formal. "Bob, forget everything I've just said. Megabyte was in my house. I think I've been poisoned."

Some of you are probably wondering if Megabyte really did poison Dot. I left the ending like this so that readers could make up their own minds, but personally, I'm going to say 'No'.


	2. Chapter 2

Originally this was going to be a one-shot, but as usual, I randomly got an idea into my head and couldn't leave it alone. This is not the final chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Reboot

It had been a while since the incident with the flowers, but going home still bothered Dot Matrix. Still, it was just as comfortable as anywhere else at this point. At least security had been updated a few times since then. Dot sighed as she unlocked her door, eager to get out of the pouring rain, but still almost expecting another surprise.

She could almost smell something familiar on the other side of her door.

It was just a memory. After all, this second was the Father's Celebration. Every time her father would cook a meal full of his favorites. Dot couldn't remember exactly what he put on the turkey, but it always made her gain weight.

Now she even missed that.

As soon as she opened the door she knew it wasn't just her memory playing tricks on her. That smell had to be real- surely her memory couldn't play good of a trick on her. This was too real. It was too strong. It was even better than she remembered it.

She knew that this was a very bad sign; her nullified father was infected by Megabyte. If her father was in her house, chances were that Megabyte was with him. Still, she found herself slowly getting closer to her kitchen, wanting so badly to see her father again. Perhaps he was fighting the infection the same way Turbo had fought against Daemon.

Unfortunately, the dining room separated her kitchen from the rest of her home. Megabyte knew it was the perfect place to wait for her. She didn't know why she was surprised to see him sitting calmly at her table. The table was already set for two, complete with candle light.

"Ms. Matrix, you're early darling." he said as though she was showing up to a casual date. The virus got up to pull a seat out for her. "If I had known you would be here now I assure you this would have been finished sooner."

Her heart sank. "What would have been finished sooner?"

The mechanical monster walked quietly towards her. She instinctively took a step back, but she knew running was no use. She should have done that the moment she opened the door, but her desperation to see her father again wouldn't let her.

"Your traditional Father's Celebration dinner, of course." Megabyte remained casual as her took her hand and gently walked her the few steps to her seat.

 _He's completely lost his processor._ she thought

"It will be finished shortly." Megabyte said as he pushed her chair in. At least he was being a gentleman, but who knew how long that would last.

"I suppose that means my father is here?"

"Of course, my love. Who else could make this just the way you remember it? That is what you want, isn't it: to spend this time with your father, just the way you remember it?"

"Of course." Dot said honestly. "But I know you, Megabyte. You're not the kind to bring my father back to me, give me what I want, and not have some ulterior motive."

"I only want to make you happy." Megabyte insisted as he sat back down "Wouldn't a short night of peace make you feel better? We can't risk all stress effecting your beautiful face."

Dot couldn't tell if he was teasing her with this behavior or if he was genuinely flirting with her. Either way, she wanted it to stop. Then again, if he was genuinely interested in impressing her, maybe she could convince him to let her go. It was unlikely, but that was her plan until she could think of something better.

"No, we can't." She glared at him. Dot hated to go along with whatever he was up to. She had to come up with something fast.

Megabyte smiled at her. It seemed so innocent, but she knew better. Still, it wasn't like she could just ask him what he was doing and actually expect an honest answer. So she just watched him. She wasn't sure how long it lasted, but it was much too long for her. She was sweating. The silence wasn't helping- her brain was racing with thoughts of what he could do with her and she needed something to get her mind off of it.

Before she could figure out what to do next her distraction came in the form of her nullified father in his infected robot suit, carrying food to the table.

"Hello there Dot." He sounded so happy. "It's been so long. I certainly hope this is as good as good as you remember it. How is little Enzo?"

Dot gave Megabyte the most hateful face she'd ever made. That same hatred could be heard in her voice. "He's about as well as could be expected."

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Megabyte said casually. "He has such potential."

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

"Dot Matrix, watch your tone." her father scolded her before returning to the kitchen go get the rest of the food. It startled her at first, but she quickly remembered that it wasn't his fault. "Be polite. Megabyte went out of his way to do this for you. Show some respect for our new ruler."

Dot's face turned red. Her father was completely under Megabyte's control and nothing she could say would change anything. Trying would only get her into trouble. There had to be a way out of this. Calling for backup was out of the question so long as they were watching her. If only she could find a way to get away from them just long enough to make a call.

"I should probably go to the bathroom and wash my hands."

"There's a sink in the kitchen." Megabyte reminded her as he got up.

As he pulled her chair out for her she told him quietly, "I-I really need to use the restroom." She hadn't meant to sound so scared.

Megadyte bent over and looked her in the eyes. His face was so close to hers. She shook in fear.

"No." He didn't sound as commanding as she was used to. Something in his voice seemed different. He seemed more gentle somehow. She stopped shaking. Why did his voice have to be so soothing?

Dot walked quickly to her kitchen. At least her father was there. She turned on the water.

"What has he done to you?" Dot asked. She wasn't sure that she wanted to know, but she needed to. This was her father. She loved. She had worried so much about him.

"Megabyte has been very good to me." Dot doubted it. "I'm one of his favorites."

"You don't have to hide it from me, Daddy." Nibbles turned to look at her. She almost always got her way when she called him that. "I know how Megabyte is."

"Now, now Dotty- lets not forget how well he mimicked the guardian. If he ever hurt you, I'm sure you wouldn't have almost married him. Our leader can be gentle when he wants to. Now stop wasting the water. Megabyte is waiting for you."

That last sentence was barely enough of a reason at this point, but she knew she had to end this conversation before she got herself into more trouble than she could get out of. The CommandDotCom washed her hands and grabbed something for her father. As soon as she put it on the table she went back to her seat.

"Thank you." She tried to stay on Megabyte's good side as he pushed her chair back in for her. She knew her best bet was to just play along until someone could find and rescue her.

She was playing her cards a little too well.

"Dot Matrix." Megabyte questioned her "You certainly changed your attitude quickly. I certainly hope this isn't part of some plan."

"There's no way out of this." She admitted "You've got me completely trapped." Then she looked him in the eyes, fear mixing with determination. "But that doesn't mean I would ever surrender to you."

Megabyte lovingly smiled at her.

"She was always such a stubborn little girl." Welman commented as he finished putting the meal on the table.

"Yes, and I've always admired that about her."

All Dot could do was look away.

"Look Dot," Welman got her attention, already piling up her plate for her "you love all of this."

She looked around. It was true- in addition to the meal she was expecting, most of her favorite foods were on the table.

"What are you up to?" Dot couldn't look away from her plate.

"What makes you think I'm up to anything?" Megabyte denied any wrongdoing.

Dot sighed. Of course he wasn't going to tell one of the few people who could outsmart him.

Her father finally put her plate back in front of her. It smelled so good. She was so hungry.

"You poisoned this, didn't you?"

"Why would I offer such a meal if I meant merely to poison you? No, Dot. This is gift- a sign of my love for you." Dot blushed and looked away again. "I'm sorry, Darling. Is it still too soon for candles?"

Dot ignored his question. Clearly she was supposed to eat this. She couldn't see any other options.

It was even better than she remembered. It didn't matter anymore if it was poisoned. She couldn't stop. She didn't want to.

Megabyte couldn't help but smile with her.

Before she even knew it she was on her third plate.

"My my, Dot. You don't look like you could eat that much."

The CommandDotCom stopped for a moment. She thought over his words. It only took a nano to come up with a new plan- gain weight until he lost interest in her. Maybe she could even get a tacky haircut. No, it was best to not overdo it.

"What do you like best about my body?" Dot leaned in towards him. She was so glad he was on the other end of the table. It wasn't enough distance for her to feel comfortable, but at least he wasn't within arms reach. He looked at her skeptically. "I don't get enough attention."

"So you are enjoying this?" Megabyte didn't believe her, but he played along. He just wanted to see what she was planning. It was obvious that he would have to be very cautious to not fall into one of her traps.

"Megabyte, you and I are enemies. I can't enjoy this."

"Of course." Megabyte nodded "We can't let anyone know about this." The virus seemed to think for a moment. Surely he could say something specific? All he had mentioned so far was her face. Was that all he liked about her?

 _Maybe I should wear more makeup._ she thought

"I suppose what I like most about your body is your height." Her height? Why her height? Wasn't she a little too short? "Your shoulders are also adorable." Her shoulders? Really? She had never taken the time out to notice them before. Where they that attractive? How many guys actually cared? "I almost miss those foot rubs you had practically demanded during my charade." Great, now he had a thing for feet. "And of course, I can't forget your hands." He reached a hand out to her.

She couldn't help but hold it. She shouldn't have been so comfortable with this. She shouldn't have been so happy with what he said. He was so manipulative. Somehow he knew exactly what a woman wanted to hear. He knew exactly how to play on her insecurities. Even after his charade ended, the memories of how he treated her still lingered in the back of her mind. She should have been ashamed of herself, but she wasn't.

Was she infected?

"But of course, complimenting you is not the only reason I came here." Dot started to feel sick. This was it. She was about to find out what he was really up to. The virus looked at her father. "This is the Fathers' Celebration, after all. We should be celebrating Nibbles."

"Welman." Dot corrected

"Yes, dear." Megabyte got sarcastic and rolled his eyes. Dot gave him an angry look. How dare he act like some sort of henpecked husband? She was not in a relationship with him.

"You two are an amazing couple." The infected Welman meant it as a compliment.

"We are not a couple!" Dot tried so hard to control her voice. She didn't want to yell at her father- this was all just more than she could handle.

"Megabyte, please, take your infection out of my father!" she begged "I just want him to go back to normal for a few nanos! Please!"

"Inside voices, Dot. You're old enough to know that."

Begging and arguing wouldn't do any good just then. She quickly gave up.

The rest of their evening was surprisingly calm. Dispite the infection, Welman seemed very happy to be with his daughter again. Dot told him all about how Enzo and Matrix were doing. Megabyte even acted as though he genuinely cared for little Enzo. He put on a very convincing performance. It was getting late when the candles were just about to die out.

Dot yawned. "It's so late."

"Yes, we really should be leaving now." Megabyte seemed almost sad

"Already?" Dot wasn't ready to see her father go

"We'll come back to visit you again." Welman assured her

She looked at Megabyte with an upset face. "I'll be expecting it."

Megabyte chuckled. "I'm sure you will." The virus got up. "Let me help you with the dishes."

"No!" Dot thought about the possibility that Megabyte could somehow get her code from her saliva. "I'll get it. You've done so much already."

"Very well." It seemed strange to her that Megabyte wasn't arguing with her about it, but at least he would leave sooner.

Dot hugged her father goodbye, carefully asking him to be careful, unaware that a virus like Megabyte could hear what she was saying. He grinned at her concern for her father. Sprites care so much about each other. How cute.

As soon as they were gone, she called her bigger brother.

"Sis, it's late. What's wrong?"

"Where's Enzo?"

AndrAIa answered that question. "He's in bed. What's wrong?"

"Megabyte came over for a surprise visit." She could see by Matrix's metal eye that Gun was ready to fire. "He brought Dad with him."

"Megabyte took Dad to your place for the Fathers' Celebration?" Enzo was up "That is so cool!"

"No it's not." Matrix told him.

"Dot, what happened?" AndrAIa asked

"Dad made that big meal he used to make."

"Aww man. Why wasn't I invited?" Enzo didn't seem to understand what the problem was

"I think Megabyte tried to poison me again."

"Again!?" Matrix was on the verge of losing his temper, but being with his sister in her time of need was a little more important than tracking down Megabyte. "I'll be right there!"

"I'll call for backup." AndrAIa told him. There were a few calls to be made and someone had to stay behind to watch Enzo. "Frisket, go with Matrix." The dog didn't need to be told twice.

"What can I do?" Enzo asked

"You can stay here where it's safe." Matrix told him as he walked out the door.

"No way!" Enzo insisted. He started to run to Matrix's bike, but AndrAIa grabbed his hand. "Dot's my sister too. I should help!"

"You can help by going to the Princaples Office with me." AndrAIa assured him. "We'll keep an eye on security footage and try to track down Megabyte."

"Boring!" Enzo didn't seem interested until about a nanosecond after he said that. "Maybe we'll get to play in a game!"

"Enzo, games aren't meant to be fun." Dot reminded him.

"I know, I know."

Dot hung before Enzo could start arguing with her. Needing something to distract her until help could arrive, she decided to go ahead and wash the dishes. She placed the cutlery and plate that Megabyte had used to the side. Maybe there was some way to extract his code from it? Even if they couldn't use it to track him down, at least it could possibly be used to determine if he had any new powers they weren't aware of yet.

Good thing she didn't let him wash them for her- who knew what he would do if he or one of his aliases could mimic her form?

But then a realization struck her with no mercy.

Megabyte probably already had her code from when he had been engaged to her.

She dropped a plate. The sound of it breaking did nothing to save her from her new train of thought.

 _What is he doing with my body?_


End file.
